The Magical Tales of Team Unicorn
by RutilaeComae
Summary: Basically, this is some alternate universe where we tour with FF5 and they love us and stuff. Really, it's for Raybancoolness and Stoplivi. It's all based on a dream I had, which is explained in Ch 1.
1. The Dream

Olivia and Lauren, you two and I were on the tourbus together with the guys, except they weren't as old as they are. I mean, they looked the same, but they were actually about 20 or so. So, we were sitting there and Soli had his arm around Lauren and Jake kept hitting on her and being like "Gurrrll, how you doin'?" and stuff. I looked over and Josh and Olivia… You were like staring passionately into one another's souls. Just intense eye contact and lots of whispering and I didn't really know, or want to know, what you were saying. So I feel someone sit down next to me and it was Nate and apparently he and I were just best friends or whatever and I was totally cool with that, and he had on that teal/blue hoodie thing he wore on the It's All Gold tour, except he didn't have a shirt under it. I was also okay with that.

So we just chilled for a while and then Nate was like "I wanna go play the N64. Anyone wanna come?" and I was like "Heck yes!" so we went back and played N64 for a while and then I looked out the window and saw this guy named Hudson who I almost dated at one point and apparently the dream was happening like… The week after he showed up to what would've been our first date with his girlfriend and I was super bitter about it. So he was with some other girl and I was like "I wish I could get back at him. So bad." and then he hugged the girl and knocked on the tourbus door and Nate was like "I got this. Just play along," and he put his arm over my shoulders and we waited for a few seconds and heard Hudson talking to the rest of the band and we were like "Oh, we got time." and went back to playing video games.

So Hudson came in and was like "I wanna apologize and see if she wants to go back out" and asked where I was and Jake was like "Oh, they're in the back room playing video games," and Soli and Josh both go "Is that what they're calling it these days?" and everyone laughed and then they made lots of dirty jokes about "joysticks" and stuff. So, Nate and I beat the final boss and we jumped up and high-fived (and somehow Nate's hoodie came off) and he just grabbed me and kissed me and then he pulled away and the moment went from "Yay! We won! Victory kiss!" to "Wait.. That was.. That was actually sort of nice" so he kissed me again and Hudson walked in and neither of us noticed, seeing as we were slightly preoccupied and he just walked back to the front of the tourbus and was like "I thought you guys were joking." and they were like "What?" and he was like "Go back and see for yourselves." and walked back with them and they opened the door and you guys were like "GET IT, GIRL!" and the band guys were like "FINALLY!" and Nate and I detached our faces from one another's and turned looked at the door and both turned bright red. And then the dream ended.


	2. The Cuteness

Picking up the day after my dream dropped off:

The band was halfway through their set when it started pouring down rain and the mosh pit became a muddy mess. The show went on and the crowd went crazy over the fact that the boys' tank tops were now skin tight and see-through. When they finally came off of the stage, they shook out their hair and ran towards us, arms wide open, cheeky, mischievous grins spreading across their faces. We bolted toward the bus, trying to escape the sopping embraces but we were too slow and were soon soaking wet, tangled up in the arms of Family Force 5. Everyone was laughing and we helped our respective men peel the tanks tops from their bodies, though Josh's just sprouted wings and flew away. On the stroll back to the bus, we discussed the plans for the day. "I'm thinkin' my lady and I are gonna hit the beach. Catch some rays," Soli said, throwing an arm around Lauren's waist and kissing her on the cheek. "Sound good?" This was quite an odd idea, though, seeing as it was 10:00 pm.

"Yeah, definitely! I can bust out my new Ray Bans!" she said excitedly as Olivia and I chuckled about the Tumblr username reference.

"How 'bout you two?" Josh asked Nate and me as he walked hand in hand with Olivia.

"Uh, probably gonna play some video games or something," I thought aloud.

"Oh, video games, eh? Like this?" Olivia teased before she and Josh started to make out in quite an exaggerated manner, running their hands all through each other's hair.

"Ha. Ha ha. You are so funny." Nate's face was completely dead pan, but I just turned bright red and tried to act nonchalant. Neither of us were quite sure where we stood after the incident of the day before. Jake decided to break up the awkward silence by hitting on Lauren, to which she did not protest. Soli wrapped his arm a little tighter around her and gave Jake a stern glare but Lauren was giggling and blushing.

We arrived back at the bus and all of us girls flopped onto the couches while the guys went into the bunk area to change clothes. They emerged in basketball shorts and tank tops and hoodies, a look much different than fans are used to. It was cold that day, so we decided to watch movies instead of going to the beach or anything like that. Derek rummaged through the back room, looking for Monty Python And The Quest For The Holy Grail and some blankets. We all made ourselves comfortable on the couch, Olivia on Josh's lap with his arms wrapped around her, Lauren between Jake and Soli, both vying for her attention (And Jake winning), and Nate and I sitting fairly close but not snuggling up like everyone else, seeing as we didn't know how the other would respond. Derek and his new lady Sarah were cuddled up at the end of the couch and looking quite precious. We hit the lights and the movie started. It was a group favorite and we were all cracking up. At the end of the movie, Soli turned the lights back on to see Sarah and Derek sleeping in each other's arms, Josh and Olivia passed out next to each other, Jake and Lauren cuddling in their sleep (and he was not happy about that), and Nate and I out cold, curled up with each other and smiling ever so slightly in our sleep.

To be continued…


	3. The Build Up

The next morning, emotions raced through Soli's mind. Rage, jealousy, protectiveness, anger, hate, pain… The list went on and on. His woman was in the arms of his little brother. He paced the bus, unsure of what to do. _Hit him? No… That wouldn't do any good. Yell at him? Or would that cause too much tension? Let it slide? No. Not that. I can't do that. Hit him. Yeah. Hit him HARD. _He clenched his fists, looking painfully at Lauren. He drew his arm back and just then, Lauren curled closer to Jake, smiled ever so slightly, and whispered something in her sleep. Was it what he thought it was? She whispered it again. It was. It was his name. She was thinking of him. Dreaming of him. His arms relaxed and dropped to his sides. He smiled and sat down next to her, running his fingers up and down her back to wake her up.

Lauren yawned, her eyes flickering open, and sat up. "I thought that was you, babe," she lied, giving Soli a good morning hug. Her hand lingered on Jake's leg, which she had used to prop herself up, before she realized Olivia and Josh raising their eyebrows at her and gesturing to her hand-placement. She yanked her hand away and rested it on the couch. Jake bolted up, slightly confused as to his location and asking something about Italian boots. Derek slowly slid off of the couch, trying not to disturb Sarah, who he kissed gently on the forehead before heading to the bunk area.

"Someone throw something at Nate. We need to get ready for our acoustic set," Jake shouted as he strolled into the back lounge. Josh snatched up a pillow and chucked it at Nate's head, doing absolutely nothing seeing as Nate is a very heavy sleeper. I squirmed and opened my eyes, glared accusingly at Soli. He gave me his best innocent face and pointed to Josh, who whistled and stared up at the ceiling. I rolled my eyes and snuggled back up against Nate to go to sleep again before it dawned on me that I was in fact snuggling with Nate. I sat straight up, throwing his arm from around my waist, and looked around.

"How'd ya sleep?" Soli teased, popping his foot and batting his eyes. He ducked just in time, the pillow only grazing his head. "What? You guys are cute!" he said, maintaining a defensive position in case I threw something else at him.

"Hush!" I whispered. "He might hear you! And I don't think he thinks of me like that!"

Soli's face went completely dead pan. "Oh, Kenzie! I totally don't think of you in any special way!" His voice held a mocking tone as he pretended to make out with a person who wasn't there. I cocked an eyebrow and grabbed a pillow, nailing him in the gut this time.

"What's going on in here?" Derek asked, sliding through the door into the front lounge.

"Denial," Soli winked, rushing towards to bunks and dodging another pillow. Derek sat down on the couch next to me, nodded his head towards Nate and raised his eyebrows. I made my very best Jim Halpert face and Derek proceeded to be a psychiatrist for the next several minutes before Nate sat up.

"What time is it?" he yawned, stretching out his arms. "We have an acoustic set today, right?" Neither Derek or I gave a response. We just exchanged glances. "Ooohkay… Awkward tension in the room. I'll just nonchalantly exit the area, then." He stepped into the bunk area and closed the door, though we could hear teasing murmurs through it.

"Well, that was sufficiently awkward!" I said, standing up. "Thanks for the talk, Derek." He gave me a hug and strolled back into the lounge.

To be continued…

Oh, the suspense. I know. I had no ideas for this one, so I just wrote fluffy nonsense.


	4. The Action Part 1

_Ay, mamacita! My little chica! You got me loco singing "aye, aye, aye!"_

The crowd was grooving and swinging their hips to the saucy, south-of-the-border beat. By the end of the set, the people were breathless from laughing and dancing.

"We are the Family Force 5! Thanks for partying with us! We'll be back tomorrow for some more!" Soli shouted as he jogged off the small stage. The acoustic set had gone off without a hitch and the crowd knew how to party. They strolled over to the meet-and-greet tent and took their places at the table while jumping, squealing fans clutched posters and shirts and CD cases in anticipation. It was about an hour and half before the guards cut off the line and the band was free to go back to the bus.

"It's called LIFE! Real LIFE! I'm talkin' about your LI-" we turned around to see the band members standing in the front of the bus, looking at us like a bunch of freaks.

"So, this is what you do when we're gone? You sing songs by 'The Brothers' and dance on the couches?" Soli smirked, his ego growing every second. We all looked quite embarrassed and hid our faces in shame (as seen below):

The rest of the band chuckled and walked back to the bunks but Jake took his sweet time as he walked by Lauren, biting his lip and winking. She giggled, her face flushing, and turned away. Olivia and I quirked our eyebrows and crossed our arms. "What?" she said, trying to sound innocent.

"Are you even gonna _try _to break up with Soli?" I asked, muting the music that was still blasting from the _**laptop**_.

"Yes! Maybe! I don't know! Just… Give me time! I haven't decided yet!"

"Oohhhkay," Olivia shrugged, plopping down on the couch. She kicked up her feet, resting them on a conveniently placed backpack. Just as we were settling ourselves into the couches and making ourselves comfortable, we heard a slam. And then another. And then shouting. Derek poked his head out of the door, looking rather frantic.

"Uh… You guys might want to leave the bus. Things are getting kind of violent…"

We shot each other questioning, worried looks and Derek shooed us out before we could ask him anything. We walked down to the beach, barefoot, and tried to relax. "I wonder what's goin' down…" "Who do you think started it?" "What're they fighting about?" "Is it really _that_ much worse than the other fights we've seen?" None of us had answers, but the questions just spilled out.

"OW!" I yelped, hopping on one foot and trying to hold the recently injured one. "I think I stepped on a bee!" I yanked the stinger from my foot and threw it into the grass disgustedly. "Freaking _**thorns**_with wings…" I muttered, irritated by all insects, but mostly _**bees**_.

"You should head back to the bus and clean that wound up," Lauren suggested. "And ya know… Should you feel so inclined, you could check out what's going on without letting them see you!"

"Lauren, are you suggesting that I _spy on them?_" I gasped, mockingly accusing her of such a horrible deed.

"Me? Never!" she exclaimed, taking a joking offense and making a face such as the one seen below.

We laughed and I scampered off towards to bus, limping a little on my right side. I slid through the bus doors quietly and tried to sneak my way into the back. It was going fairly well until I tripped over one of the many objects strewn across the floor. The place was a wreck. It looked as if someone had _**ransacked**_ it. Nethan ran out and helped me up. "I thought we told you to get out!" whispered angrily, revealing a rather different side of himself.

"I … I stepped on a bee … I just ... I just came to get a band-aid …" I stammered, a little freaked out by his tone. His grip on my arm was tight and the intensity in his eyes was frightening.

"Leave. Now," he seemed less angry now. He was being protective. As if he was trying to shield me from something. I gulped, nodded, and ran out the door. Lauren and Olivia were right outside. I rubbed the bicep that had been in Nathan's iron grip and shook my head.

"Ugh! Nothing?" Olivia sounded disappointed. "What happened?"

"Uh, let's see… I tripped, Nate ran into the front lounge, practically yelled at me to get out, and then I was here," I said, recapping the events and trying to lessen the severity of it all. Whatever was going on, it wasn't something that they wanted us to know about. Just then, Soli stormed out of the bus, fuming with rage. He stopped, shot a look full of pain and hatred at Lauren through a swelling, purplish eye, and then bolted away. None of us knew what to do. We just stood there and gawked. What the hell happened in there?


	5. The Break in the Action

Our mouths hung open, eyes wide and minds boggled.

"Hey, ladies!" The shout from the bus seemed somewhat urgent. We rushed in to find Nate sitting on the couch, his head tilted back and blood running down his face.

"Oh my Gallifrey! What happened to you?" I was at his side in an instant, nearly knocking Derek over. "Guys, get me the first aid kit, stat!" I hollered, thanking God that my parents were doctors and had taught me enough of this stuff. I knelt on the couch just to his right, cleaning out the cut and threading a needle. "This might hurt…" I warned just before I started to stitch up his forehead.

"You know… I don' feel a who'lot righ' now…" his speech was slurred and his eyes were dazed. He rambled nonsense for a few more minutes as I finished doctoring his wound. "Yer real pretty, ya know tha-" and then he blacked out. Apparently, the blood loss had not been handled well before we were called onto the bus.

"Derek, what happened?" Lauren asked, her voice wavering as she fought tears.

"I can't tell y-" he caught a glimpse of Olivia's glare and gave in. "Alright… Sol hit Jake for crushing on you," he gestured towards Lauren, "and then Jake said it wasn't his fault that he was more of a man than Sol was, took a swing at him, and nailed him right in the eye. Sol tackled him, I tried to pull 'em apart, Josh grabbed Soli and slammed him up against the wall, tellin' him not to mess with his twin and then it was all chaos. Everyone went after everyone."

"What about Nate? What happened to him?" I asked, a little too desperately.

"Uh…" Derek was caught slightly off-guard. "I think Josh slammed his head into that counter over there." His finger pointed to a bloody corner of the kitchen-area. "He was just trying to calm everyone down. More than I did…" He looked ashamed. "I just hid. I didn't want to get involved… Ugh! I should've done something!" His frustration with himself sounded in his tone. He was always there for his friends and he'd just ducked out. He was a coward in his own mind. The silence that followed was slightly awkward until Olivia wrapped her arms around him and started to comfort the distraught mess of a man.

We eventually got the bus cleaned up while Nate was out cold on the couch. Lord only knows where Josh and Jacob were. We hadn't seen them since before the fight and they weren't anywhere on the bus. I went over to check on Nate's battle-scar, propping myself up on the couch with one knee placed unintentionally between his. I leaned in, my hands cradling his face, and was about to start inspecting his cut for infections when he came to and his eyes flickered open. Josh walked onto the bus icing his jaw and started to laugh.

"I'll just leave you two alone then!" he winked, strolling past Nate and I and our slightly awkward positioning.

"Right, then," I cleared my throat and stood up. "I think you'll be okay." My face was as red as red could get and I tried to find something to pretend to be doing.

"Hey…" he mumbled, his speech still slurring. "C'mere." He patted the seat next to him. "We need ta talk 'bout this."

"No, we don't," I said, turning my back to him. I hated emotions, especially when I was the one feeling them. I preferred to just pretend nothing happened.

"Yes. We do. Now sit." His tone was more authoritative than I was used to. I dragged myself over to the couch and plopped down next to him, preparing excuses to not talk about this but knowing they would be futile. This was going to take a while.


	6. The MushyGushy Part

After about an hour and a half of emotional frustration, discussion, gesticulation, and hugs, Nate and I had finally sorted everything out and he had finally stopped slurring his speech. Olivia and Josh were enjoying themselves at the beach, Soli was out in the woods doing God-knows-what, Derek had graciously accepted our wish for some privacy and had scampered off the to the basketball courts with Jake, and Lauren was out buying ice cream.

I flicked open the latches on my guitar case while Nate went into the back to change out of his bloody shirt. I started strumming a little tune, humming the melody that went with it, and was surprised by myself when I actually started to sing out loud. I never did that. But, oh well. It was a good song and I was good at it. Nate burst through the door in a fresh shirt and belted out the next line with me, singing "OH! Love me dead!" I stopped playing and looked up at him in shock.

"You know this song?" No one ever knew this song!

"Heck yes I do!" he said, grabbing his own guitar from the bunk area and rushing out to sit by me on the couch. We proceeded to jam to the twisted, sweet track by Ludo and laugh 'til we couldn't breathe at the end.

"Do you know their song 'Whipped Cream'?" I asked excitedly, seeing as it was my favorite song by them.

Nate let one chord ring out as he jumped up from the couch and onto the table, taking the classic axe-battle stance. I took that as a "yes" and a challenge and hopped up onto the table with him, our guitars nearly touching. We hit the first chord of the song and let it ring out as we belted out the lyrics, "I WANT IT WITH WHIPPED CREAM ON IT! BABY, GIMME GIMME GIMME YOUR LO-O-OVE! 'CAUSE I'M HUNGRY, YA CAN'T KEEP IT FROM ME! LORD KNOWS YOU'VE GOT MORE THAN ENOU-OUGH!"

"I take it you two figured everything out?" The voice came from behind me and I slowly let my guitar down from its axe-battle position and let my hips swing back into their normal position as I turned around. It was Soli who had spoken and he was chuckling a little at the lyrics he'd walked in on. Nate and I hopped down from the table and set our guitars on the couch.

"You look better," I said, trying to find something to say that wouldn't set him off.

"I am… Did some thinkin' out in the woods. I think… I think it's time Lauren and I broke up officially. It's been over for a long time anyways."

"That's surprisingly mature, bro." Nate tried to make that sound as non-offensive as possible.

"Uh… Thanks, I think," Soli replied, a bit unsure of what Nate had meant. He walked over to the freezer and grabbed an icepack, settling it on his new shiner. "Where's urrybody at anyways?"

"I think Jake and Derek are playing basketball," I thought aloud. "And I'm pretty sure Lauren is out getting comfort food."

"And Josh and Olivia are off 'playing videogames,'" Nate chirped, adding a little eyebrow raise and some smoldering eyes to make me laugh.

"Ooh la la!" Soli smirked, happy to see that the tension was gone between the two of us. Jake and Derek entered the bus, breathless and dripping with sweat. Jake paused when he saw Soli and almost started to back away, rubbing a few of the bruises on his arms. Soli looked up at him with apologetic eyes and opened his arms. "I'm sorry, man… You were right…" he admitted, walking towards his little brother.

"No, man. You were right. I shouldn'a tried to steal your lady." They embraced and made up, slapping each other on the back in camaraderie when they were done. Lauren walked up the stairs and immediately turned around and walked back out, not sure of what would happen if she entered.

"Lauren, get back here!" Soli shouted out the window. She sheepishly returned, eating some Ben & Jerry's straight from the carton. "I'm sorry," he said, lifting her chin with one finger and looking her in the eyes. "I'm sorry, but … I think we should just … End it now before more people get hurt."

Lauren didn't know what to say. "I… I.."

"Sh. I'm not done yet." Soli had cut her off before she could even form a sentence. "I want you to know that it's okay… It's okay if you want to date Jacob. I've seen how he looks at you. He cares more about you than I think I ever did. And so… I think he deserves you more than me."

The bus was silent. Solomon was never this mature about anything, let alone his relationship with Lauren. Jake shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back onto his heels, staring at the ground and waiting for her response.


	7. Ooh, It's Getting Good

"Are you… Are you sure?" Lauren couldn't believe her ears. Was he really giving her this sort of permission?

Soli took a deep breath and sighed. "Yes… Yeah, I'm sure." He was nearly knocked over by Lauren's momentum as she flung her arms around his neck and embraced him.

"Thanks," she whispered, kissing him on the cheek and stepping back. No one really knew what to do at this point so there was a slightly awkward silence.

"Well, go on! If ya g'on do it, do it!" Soli shouted, throwing his arms up in exasperation and gesturing to Lauren and Jacob.

Jacob glanced up at her and smiled before scooping her into his arms. "Hey, uh, where's Josh? And Olivia?" Jacob asked.

"At the beach," Nate and I said in unison. "We'll go find 'em so we can all grab dinner." We hopped down the steps and paused. Nate held out his hand and waited. I slid my slender fingers between his tattooed ones and smiled, walking towards the beach with my DJ ninja, hand in hand. We swung our arms back and forth, laughing and joking the entire way.

The sun was setting when we finally spotted Josh and Olivia. They were both propped up in the sand on their elbows, under the pier, deep in discussion. We peered around the wood pole at them just in time to see Josh lean in and kiss her. He ran his fingers through her hair and pulled her closer.

"Aawwww," Nate and I whispered, giggling like little kids. We started to walk towards them when what started as a slow, sweet kiss picked up its pace rather quickly, both of them mussing up the other's hair. I spun around on my heel and headed the opposite direction, not wanting to intrude on the moment. Nate, still holding my hand, yanked me back and whispered something in my ear.

"Oh, you are _brilliant!_" I whispered back excitedly. The two of us slowly crept towards the completely oblivious, hot mess of a couple that was our friends. Nate whipped out a flash light and cleared his throat.

"What do you think you're doing?" he said in his best policeman voice, shining the light right on Josh and Olivia. The two of them tore apart faster than I thought humanly possible, Josh rolling himself off of Olivia and trying to look innocent.

"Uh… We were just… Uh…" Josh had no idea what to say. Nate and I cracked up and slid down the sandy hill, stopping just short of where Josh was kneeling in the sand. Olivia's face was redder than I'd ever seen and started laughing all over again.

"Not funny!" Olivia protested, standing up.

"Oh, but it _is! _It _so_ is!" I burst into another fit of giggles, nearly falling over and leaning on Nate for support. Neither of us could control our laughter until we saw the look on Josh's face. We glanced at each other, turned around, and bolted towards the bus, Josh hot on our tails. Olivia wasn't far behind him, not because she was mad, she just didn't want to be left behind at the dark, creepy, beach. Nate and I burst into the bus, panting and using Derek and Jacob as human shields.

"What are you doing?" Jacob asked, trying to pry my hands from his shoulders. I was ducked behind him when Josh came through the doors. He stalked towards us, his face intense… And then the unexpected happened: He started laughing. Nate and I traded puzzled looks and stood straight up hesitantly.

"That was a good one, guys," Josh chuckled, giving Nate a high-five. We both just stood there, staring at each other and trying to figure out what was going on.

Olivia ran up the steps and into the front lounge. "What'd I miss? Who got hit?" she said between heavy breaths. She looked up and saw Josh laughing and gave him a quizzical look.

"What?" he said, as if it were completely normal for him to react this way. "It was funny!"

"Ohhkayy…" she muttered, taking a seat on the couch.

"Be on your guard for the next 3 weeks at least," Nathan muttered through his teeth. "He may try to get his revenge…"

After dinner, we all retired to our bunks and went out like lights. None of us were conscious within 5 minutes of getting into the bunks, except for Josh and Olivia that is. Olivia leaned out of her bunk, hanging upside down and knocking on Josh's bunk, which was right below hers. He slid open the curtain and cocked an eyebrow.

"I've got to know, babe," she whispered. "What are you gonna do for your revenge?"

"Nothing!" he smirked. "They expect me to do something, so I'm not gonna. That's my revenge."

"I don't get it."

A cheeky grin spread across his face as he gave her a sly wink and whispered…

"Paranoia."


	8. The Kameleon Changes Things Up

Nate and I were on high-alert for next several days. Completely jumpy. Every little motion freaked us out. Nothing was safe and Josh was getting a kick out of it. He and Olivia would trade mischievous glances and smirks constantly, which didn't help calm our nerves at all.

I was "relaxing" on the couch on one of the band's days off and letting Jake play with my fiery hair when he suddenly stopped, gasped, and shouted "IDEA!" I giggled and turned around to face him. I assumed he was talking to me considering the fact that no one else was on the bus.

"Oh, do share!" I was excited. His hair ideas were always brilliant.

"Dark brown," he said, letting the idea sink in before he went any further into his plan.

I jumped up and high-fived him. "Heck yes! Let's do it!" I shouted. We jacked Nate's motorcycle to go to town and get some dye, but Jake didn't know how to drive it so I had to. We walked up and down the aisles of the store, searching for the perfect color and when Jake found it, he was overjoyed. We sped back to the bus and rushed to the back lounge to start the process. About 45 minutes later, we heard people coming onto the bus.

Jake poked his head into the front lounge to see the whole band (except for Nate), Lauren, and Olivia sitting down on the couches. Lauren walked towards him, arms open. "Hey, babe," he said with a wink before quickly warning everyone that if they came into the back lounge, they'd ruin the surprise. He kissed Lauren on the cheek and bolted back to check on me. We were both giddy with anticipation of the others' reactions. I gave Jake free reign with the cut and style, but he said he liked how I did my hair so he didn't change it.

"Ready?" he asked, beaming with pride at his masterpiece.

"You know it!" I nearly shouted, running my fingers through my hair and gawking at the mirror. I couldn't get over how much I loved the new color. We raced to the front of the bunk area and then nonchalantly strolled through the door and into the front lounge. The next several minutes were full of gasps and exclamations of shock and lots of hair-touching.

"Oh my god…" Lauren had a look of realization on her face.

"What?"

"You look like Elvis."

I pushed my hair back again, and let one strand curl down onto my forehead, cocking an eyebrow.

"A'ight, gurl," Soli said, unlatching his guitar case and slinging the strap over his shoulder. "You look like Elvis, but can you _dance_ like Elvis?" He started strumming out the beat to 'Hound Dog' and I smirked.

"As it happens, yes I can."

Josh and Derek grabbed their instruments, joining in with Soli, and before I knew it, the whole bus a swingin' sockhop straight from the 1950s. Josh tossed me a leather jacket which I put on before hopping up onto a table with my own guitar and starting up 'Blue Suede Shoes.' Nate walked up the stairs just as we started grooving. I caught a glimpse of him, mid-hip-swing, and started laughing. His face was priceless. No doubt, he'd expected to come onto the bus and find his bandmates relaxing, Lauren and Olivia cuddled up with their men, and me, hair all ablaze, awaiting his return with my headphones in, listening to some band no one had ever heard of.

Instead, he came in to find his lady with almost black hair, standing on a table and singing Elvis songs with the rest of the band-fam playing along, twisting, and busting out the Mashed Potato (yes, that's a dance move). The scene was rather comical, granted, but his face just made it so much better. He turned around, walked off of the bus, checked the side to make sure it really was his bus, walked back in, and just stood there. I hopped off the table and shrugged off Josh's jacket before walking towards Nate.

"Well?" I asked, expectantly. He just stared at me, poking my head to make sure I was real, and ran his fingers through my hair a couple times. I was starting to get a little nervous but just then, his deadpan face was broken by a huge smile.

"I love it!" he grinned, running his fingers through it again and again. Jake took a bow and blew kisses to his "admiring fans."

"I'd like to thank the academy, my mom, my dad, my lovely girlfriend…" We were all cracking up as he made his speech. I fell onto the couch laughing and landed right next to Nate. He threw his arm around me and I looked around the bus. I was so incredibly blessed to get to live with these amazing people. Even if there was crazy tension sometimes, it was still great. My pure content-ness was shattered immediately when I looked over to see Josh and Olivia whispering and then looking over at Nate and me with mischievousness in their eyes. Nate and I tensed up, gulped, and looked at each other. It wasn't over yet…

(I really only wrote this one so that I could put my hair color change into the story. Also, I really like Elvis.)


	9. It's Not What It Sounds Like

"Oh my God … Oh, god …" Nate panted, pushing his sweat-soaked hair out of his face. "I did not know you could do that." I cocked an eyebrow at him. "Okay, I know you could do it, I just didn't know you could do it like THAT!"

"I tell you about it all the time!" I said, nowhere near as breathless as him.

"But you always say no when we ask if you want to join us," Derek chimed in.

"By the way," I said, turning to look at Derek, "you were amazing today. I almost had a little trouble keeping up!"

"Aw, thanks! You were pretty great yourself!"

We all made our way to the front lounge and the boys sat down on the couches. I grabbed some towels for them to wipe the sweat from their glistening bodies and ducked into the bunk area quickly to grab something to cover up with. I sat down on the couch next to Nate as Soli emerged from the bunks.

"Diggin' the leopard print, Kenzie!" he said on his way out the door. I grinned and slid on a pair of Nate's basketball shorts.

"I'm gonna be sore for days…" Nate groaned.

"You won't get so sore the more you do it, babe," I said, rubbing his shoulders. "You just need to work on form and flexibility. The endurance will come with it."

"Speaking of form," Derek chirped, "you did much better today. Your control of your hips is seriously improving."

"Yeah? I wasn't sure about 'em today." I looked over to see that Nate was still out of breath and Derek and I chuckled. "Come on, we didn't even go for that long today! That was 40 minutes, tops!"

"Are you kidding?" Nate collapsed back onto the couch again. "How long do you NORMALLY go?"

"I think our longest was two hours straight, right?" I asked.

"Two and a half! Now that one made me sore!" Derek stood up. "I need a shower. A cold, cold shower."

"I'll be in after you," I called as he walked into the bunk area. I stretched out on the couch and cracked my back. "Man, that felt good. And you did great today, Nate. Before you know it, you'll be up to speed. Won't hafta keep shouting at you to go faster."

"Dang … How long have you been doing this?"

"I think … I tried it in middle school, but didn't like it. Hurt too much. Started it again during my freshman year and loved it. A bunch of my friends did it too. It was a pretty common pastime at my school."

"Really? That's sorta surprising."

"Seriously. A whole group of us got together every Saturday morning and did it. Once we had 20 at a time. One time it was all girls. Once I was the only girl. The group varied a lot, but it was a blast."

"Wow…"

"Yeah. It's a great way to start the day, though. So are you gonna join us tomorrow?"

Derek came out of the bunk area. "I think we should go for a while tomorrow," he said, smiling.

"If we do, we're using the gels!" I piped up. "You know I can't go for longer than an hour and half without 'em."

"Chocolate or strawberry? I'll set it out now."

"Chocolate! You know I hate the strawberry kind."

"Right, right. Well, I like strawberry so I'll set out one of those for me."

"Fine… Nate do you want one?"

He mumbled something about how this was going to kill him before answering. "Chocolate, I guess," he shrugged.

"Derek! I have a fantastic idea!" I jumped up, thrilled with my own brilliance.

"Oh, do tell!" Derek turned around excitedly.

"Tomorrow, we should go to the beach."

"YES! It's so much more of a challenge!" We high-fived and just then, Josh and Olivia came into the bus.

"And where have you two been, eh?" Nate asked the beaming couple.

"Well, I'll give you a hint," Josh smirked. "It requires endurance, flexibility, and if you want, it can involve flavored gels. And now I need a cold, cold shower!"

"Oh, you guys were out running too? Make sure the water is as cold as you can get it! It'll help heal the microtears in your muscles!" Derek said, a little oblivious.

"Uhhhhh…. Yeah… Running…" Josh and Olivia traded glances and laughed nervously. "If that's what you want to believe, bud," Josh said, patting Derek on the shoulder as he walked by.


	10. Close Up: Nate and I

"Remind me again… Who's the man in this relationship?" Soli smirked as he entered the front lounge where Nate and I sat. We raised our hands simultaneously, clutching cans of Mountain Dew and never lifting our eyes from the car magazine that we had settled our laps.

We were both clad in basketball shorts, mine white and his black, and deep v-neck tees, mine green and his blue. I tapped on a picture of the sexy Sesto Elemento posed in the middle of the page and grinned.

"I knew you had great taste, babe," he said, stretching his arm and putting it around my shoulders. He murmured something about zero-to-sixty and skimmed the page. He glanced over at me and laughed. "Why the heck are you biting your lip?"

"Huh?" I was suddenly aware of my habit. "Oh. I dunno. I do it a lot. Plus, cars are really sexy." Nate cocked an eyebrow and softly growled something in my ear about a V8 engine and a flappy paddle gearbox. I bit my lip harder, smacking his arm and shoving him away. "Don't do that, jerk!" He just laughed harder.

"Good to know that works," he grinned.

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

"Stop sexually frustrating her, Nate," Lauren called nonchalantly from across the bus. She and Jake were skimming a hair magazine and discussing options for her new 'do. "Or I'll have Jake tell her about your weird comic book fetish."

"OH! Ohohoho! Comic book fetish?" I fell off the couch from laughing so hard. I had never seen his face so red.

"Shut up."

"Babe, that's-"

"Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up." He was pouting now, quite displeased with this release of information.

I smirked at my chance for revenge, got back onto the couch and put one hand on his chest, the other on his knee. I kissed his jaw and whispered a little something about classic Batman. His whole body tensed and he stood up, walking swiftly out of the room. We all burst into laughter. Nate almost never got flustered like that but it was _hysterical_ when he did.

"Shut up!" he called through the door, but we just kept laughing.

"I'm sorry, Nate!" I hollered between laughs. "I'm sorry! Come back here!"

"NO!"

"Please?"

"No!"

"Don't be such a baby!" Jake shouted. A pillow flew into his face, Nate standing in the doorway.

"I hate you," he said, reclaiming his spot next to me.

"No you don't."

"You guys are both losers," Josh said. He had remained silent for the entire episode of sexual tension, but the look of cynicism on his face said that he'd heard the whole thing.

"Yeah, but we're losers _together,_" Nate pulling me close.

I giggled, blushing, and looked away before Nate leaned in, tilting his head to catch my lips, and kissed me.

"Gross. Loser-love," Jake laughed, pretending to gag at the two of us sucking face.

It's true. We are losers. We love videogames. Cars and comics turn us on. But, hey. We're losers together.


	11. Close Up: Josh and Olivia

"Where are we going?" Olivia was being led, blind-folded by Josh's hand, to some unknown destination for a surprise.

"I'll tell you when we get there," he said, for about the billionth time.

"Are we there yet?"

He chuckled."Not yet."

"How about now?"

"Yupp!" He grinned, removing his hand from her eyes to reveal a gorgeous sunset. Streaks of purple and pink were smeared boldly across the bright orange sky that reflected on the ocean's water.

Olivia gasped. It was absolutely beautiful. It took her a moment to tear her eyes from the sun and notice the picnic blanket that Josh was sitting on. He smiled and held up a large basket.

"Well, are you gonna sit or am I eating alone tonight?"

"Oh! Right! Sorry!" She took a seat, admiring the way his face glowed in the light of the setting sun. He was perfect.

Josh set a plate in front of her and struck a match, lighting a candle and placing it between the two of them. The cork shot off of a bottle of champagne and she quirked an eyebrow.

"What? It's not like we're gonna get wasted," he said, pouring her glass. He'd been planning this night since… Well, since he'd met her. He wanted everything to be perfect.

_Crack._

A bolt of lightning flashed in the sky and the roll of thunder succeeding it was frighteningly loud. Within seconds, it was pouring down rain.

_No! No, no, no. This can NOT be happening! It's gonna ruin the whole night!_

He was freaking out a little now, but tried to keep his cool on the outside. He was soaking wet, Olivia in the same state. She started to laugh and he looked up at her. She was shaking out her hair. He flipped his dripping hair out of his face and laughed with her.

"I've always wanted to dance in the rain," she said, hinting a little obviously that he should offer. He was already up on his feet, extending his hand and grinning ear to ear. He started to hum a little song as she took his hand. Olivia recognized the tune. It was "And I Love Her" by The Beatles.

Josh pulled her close, placing a hand on her hip and swaying side to side. Maybe the rain wasn't so bad at all. He started to sing softly, only loud enough for her to hear. When the song reached its end, he pulled away just a little, keeping a hold of her hand.

There was a look in his eyes. She'd never seen it before. Something was about to happen… But what? Olivia started to turn ideas over in her mind but her question was answered before she'd even gotten a theory worked out.

He was down on one knee, looking up at her expectant eyes. She put a hand over her mouth. She couldn't believe this.

"Olivia… I know that… That we haven't been together that long, but…" he was choking up a little. "But no one has ever made me feel like this. And I want to feel like this for the rest of my life." He pulled out a little blue box and flipped open the lid to reveal a sparkling diamond ring. "Olivia?"

"Yes?" She could hardly speak, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!"

Josh grinned, sliding the ring onto her finger and standing up. They were both smiling like idiots with tears and rain mixing on their faces. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her long and slow, running his fingers through her hair.

Things may not have gone exactly how he'd planned, but she was his and that was all that mattered.


	12. Close Up: Jake and Lauren

The mall was crowded and crazy. People were shoving anyone who got in their way. Most would've hated to be there, but Jake and Lauren were right at home. The navigated through the sea of people, hand in hand, eyes set on their next destination: Express.

Jake was gearing up for the next tour which meant he got to get all new costumes. It was like Christmas for him and Lauren loved to see him so excited. He had dragged her into store after store, asking her opinions of sweaters and ties (they were going for a classy look this time around) and discussing what to do about the band's hair. He would pause every so often, a little self-conscious about his love of fashion, and ask her if he was annoying her. He always got the same answer: "Of course not!" And he would grin.

"You know, you're the first girl I've dated who didn't get bothered by all this," he said, picking up a tweed jacket and trying it on. He struck a pose and Lauren giggled.

"I love that on you," she said, tossing him a tie she thought he might like.

"Hmm… Josh? Or Derek?" He was holding up the skinny, red plaid tie.

"Derek. Definitely."

They tore through the rest of the store, grabbing sweater vests and collared shirts and bowties. These stage clothes were going to be amazing.

"We should get you something while we're here." Jake had noticed her staring at a gorgeous teal dress in the window of some local shoppe.

"Huh? Oh! No, we don't have to do that," she said, trying to sound convincing. Jake just grabbed her hand and dragged her into the little dress boutique.

"You're getting something whether you like it or not!" he insisted, grinning and skimming the racks for something she might like.

"Oh, fine." She grinned right back at him and started to skim through the options. Within minutes, they both had armfuls and headed over to the dressing room. Lauren tried dress after dress with Jake giving his opinions on each one. She reached for the final dress on the hook, having saved the best for last.

Jake's jaw dropped.

"What do you think?" She was standing there in a knee-length, strapless white dress. It flowed out ever so slightly, turquoise ribbons decorating the waistline.

Jake just gripped his chair tighter, eyes wide, and nodded excitedly. She was beautiful. Lauren giggled, blushing, and walked over to him, twirling once she'd arrived at his perch. He had the biggest smile on his face.

"You look…" he couldn't find the right words. He just stammered incoherently until he realized he would never find a word suitable for how she looked in that dress. Lauren giggled again, leaving him even more speechless. Jake loved her laugh.

"Oh…" The excitement faded from Lauren's face. She'd looked at the price tag. "It's $150… Jake, I couldn't ask you to spend that."

"You don't have to! I'm volunteering!" Jake grinned but Lauren protested to him spending that kind of money on her, so they left the store with nothing.

Except that Jacob came back to the store the next day and bought the dress for Lauren.

He left it laying out on the table in the bus with a single white lily, to match the dress, and a note with a time, a place, and a "be there, darlin'" written on it. Lauren could hardly speak when she saw it. She had two hours to get ready and Jake was nowhere to be found. None of the band would say anything to her when she asked, and Olivia and I, well we just grinned a little mischievously.

Lauren showed up at the address she'd been given, at the time she'd been told, wearing her new dress and holding the lily. She looked around for Jake, but couldn't see him. She started to get a little nervous. Jake was supposed to be here. Why wasn't he? He was never late. Where was he? Was he okay?

Just then, Jake stepped out from behind the building in a suit with a turquoise tie to match the ribbons on Lauren's dress. He walked over to her, strutting just a little, and absolutely beaming at her. He held out his arm for her to take hold of and walked up to the restaurant. This place was fancy. I mean _really_ fancy.

In the middle of dinner, in the middle of the conversation, Jake looked up at Lauren and paused. There was something he wanted, no… needed to say, but he was nervous. Scared even. Lauren gave an inquiring look and waited patiently for him to decide if he would really say what was on the tip of his tongue.

"Lauren… I, uh… I love you." It was the first time he'd ever said it. The first time either of them had ever said it. His eyes were expectant, hoping she'd speak. Hoping she'd say the same to him, but she remained quiet, hand over mouth.

_Stupid! Why'd you say it? You should've kept your mouth shut! _Jake's fears were coming to life.

_Stupid! Say it! Say something! Don't just sit here like an idiot! _Lauren was frozen. She wanted to talk, but she couldn't find her voice.

"I'm sorry… That was… That was stupid for me to say…" Jake was avoiding her eyes, tears welling up in his own.

"No." He glanced up. She'd finally spoken. "No, it wasn't stupid. Jake. I love you too."

He grinned her very favorite grin and leaned across the table to kiss her.

He'd finally found the girl.

His girl.


	13. Proposals and Tattoos

Olivia and Josh came back to the bus, soaking wet and absolutely glowing.

"Either they just had sex or-" Soli got smacked in the gut by Jacob before he could finish his thought. Everyone was in the front lobby, staring with inquiring expressions at the soggy couple in front of them. Olivia just grinned at Josh, who grinned right back. None of us had ever seen either of them so happy.

"Are you gonna tell us why you're so giddy or do we have to guess?" Nate finally spoke up after a few minutes of curiosity.

"Oh, I guess we should tell them," Josh smirked. "Olivia and I…"

"Are having a baby?" "Were abducted by aliens?" "Defeated the Kraken?" "Discovered a new dinosaur?" "Are having an alien/dino/kraken baby?" The guesses came from every direction, each more ridiculous than the last.

"Are getting married!" Olivia said between fits of giggles.

"WHAT?" Everyone's jaws dropped. The next several minutes were full of surprisingly girlish squeals from Lauren and I … And a few from Jacob … Followed by a lot of congratulations. The bus was bursting with joy. This was huge!

After the initial shock/excitement passed, we all sat down to discuss details. Derek, Nate, and Soli got bored after about 15 minutes and went into the back lounge to play Batman: Arkham City. After about 30 minutes, all of us were bored with it and just decided to enjoy the moment. The wedding could wait. This night was important.

Lauren and I demanded details as to how it happened and Josh added in his own commentary as Olivia recalled the event. Things like "I didn't plan it like that… But she said yes, and that's all I care about," to which Lauren and I "Awwwwww"-ed. Jake hopped up and went back into the bunk area.

Nate snuck back into the lounge. "Is the boring part over yet?"

"Yes. And shut up, it's not boring!" I said as he took a seat next to me. I toyed with my rings, sliding one of them up and down, revealing a tattooed version of it beneath.

"Whoa! When did THAT happen?" Nate had noticed my inked finger.

"Last week?" I grinned sheepishly as he grabbed my hand and inspected the black band encircling my pinky. I lifted 3 other rings to show 3 more tattoos on my index fingers and other pinky. He seemed angry… Or maybe he was just shocked… But whatever it was, it was freaking me out a little.

He broke out into a huge smile. "I love it!" He slid his fingers between mine and laughed. "We're like puzzle pieces or something!"

"You need the thumbs too!" Lauren chirped.

"Tattoo parlors in the area?" I asked, reaching for my iPod to google it.

"On it!" Josh was already surfing the web. He wanted some new ink anyways. "There's one about 15 minutes from here. Wanna hit it tomorrow?"

"Yeah!" Lauren nearly shouted. We all looked at her funny and Jake came through the sliding door. "What? I want a tattoo!"

"No." he said, never lifting his eyes from his phone and walking up to the front of the bus.

"But-"

"No."

"Jake, you can't-"

"No."

"Fine…" Lauren crossed her arms and made a pouty face. Josh nudged her, nodded, and winked. We all gave silent approval of this plan and high-fived. One by one, everyone retired to their bunks, perfectly content with the events of the day. No one was fighting, no one was yelling, no one was throwing punches, no one was being obnoxious. It was quiet for once. It was nice.

Tomorrow would be quite different if Jake found out what we were planning.


	14. Tattoos And No Endings

"Ow, ow, ow, ow." A buzzing needle was at work between Lauren's shoulder blades, inscribing the letters "TU" in a beautiful script.

"How're ya holdin' up?" Josh asked, trying to distract her a little from the repetitive piercing of her skin.

"I've been better," Lauren said, mustering a slight giggle when the artist lifted the needle from her back. It was finished.

"Dang!" I was leaning over the counter with Olivia, looking at the tattoo. She and I would be getting the exact same ink between our shoulder blades today.

"Who's next?" the artist called, glancing up at us through heavily made-up eyes. She was covered in tattoos and piercings and her bright red lips moved subtly, whispering to herself as she cleaned the needle and prepared her station for the next tattoo.

"Olivia, why don't you go? I want to wait 'til Nate's here." My pain tolerance when it comes to needles sucks and I needed someone's hand to break- Hold. I mean hold. I needed someone's hand to hold while I got my tattoo done. Olivia slid onto the chair and Josh held out his hand for her. She took it, though she didn't really need it. She just liked it. I strolled over to one of the walls to look at the body piercing cases when Nate burst through the door.

"Help!" He had 5 cups of coffee in his hands and was trying desperately not to spill them as he held the door open with his foot. I grabbed two of the cups from him, kissing him on the cheek and walking over to hand Lauren her coffee. We sipped our drinks, watching, almost entranced, as the tattoo slowly formed on Olivia's back.

I was up next, getting three tattoos. I decided to start out with the most painful ones, so I held out my hands to the artist and braced myself for the pain. Within 10 minutes, my new rings were done. They hurt like hell, but they were done. Josh stood, offering his seat to Nate as I hopped onto the tattooing chair. By noon, all of us were inked up and I was sporting a brand new industrial piercing. Something shiny to distract Jake from the fact that Lauren winced any time something touched her back.

And then there was no next part to this because my writing abilities have been lacking this week and yeah. So you guys can imagine the ending. Cliff hanger, I know.


End file.
